Heroes and Thieves
by Louatown
Summary: This is a collection of short stories inspired by Vanessa Carlton's third album Heroes and Thieves for The Album Drabble Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**1-NOLITA FAIRYTALE 3:28**

"_Now take the glitz back, I want the soul instead__  
__'Cause I found some kind of fairy-tale."__  
_

She woke up with the heavy head of someone who had fallen asleep crying her eyes out, which she did last night after…she refused to dwell on it any longer. If she was dead to her father, if her mother refused to stand up for her, then they were dead to her too.

Five years ago, she had walked out of the life she had known to face a war she didn't know she would survive with nothing but the clothes on her back and her wand, but she had managed. This time around she wasn't alone and she had so much more.

A tangled of jet-black hair, one hand draped lazily across her waist, Harry Potter was sleeping soundly, unaware of the gentle smile that adorned his fiancée's face. He had been so wonderful last night.

For having lived with him for almost five years she knew how temperamental he was and how he couldn't resist to threats. But he had clenched his fists, let all the nasty words wash over him and calmly asked for her hand.

"We both know you don't need my permission for that," her father had spat before making it very clear that she was dead to him and that she wouldn't get one Knut from him.

She had given up her inheritance years ago, she had just hoped that her parents would at least attend the wedding. But there was no such chance, wasn't it?

She had to remind herself that she had more than an inheritance. And even though she will miss her parents till her dying day, in Andromeda, Teddy, and her friends she had a family, and perhaps one day she'll have her very own family. With Harry they had made a little paradise and a shelter out of the grimy place that was Grimmauld Place and the ruin that was the house in Godric's Hollow, and for four years she had lived her fairy-tale there with him.


	2. Chapter 2

**2-HANDS ON ME 3:01**

"_I know my heart, and it will never change"_

They were sitting cross-legged on the floor, forming a circle around an empty bottle of tequila.

Harry turned to his neighbour. Sitting at his left, Cho Chang supported an enormous grin on her face and despite the incredible amount of beer she'd been drinking, didn't look tipsy at all. Muggle alcohol didn't seem to work on wizards and witches.

"My turn!" one of the guests announced boisterously as he stretched an arm to spin the bottle, which to Harry's astonishment stopped at Cho.

The bloke whom Harry remembered was named Eddy pumped the air triumphantly with his fist, hooted and dropped directly in front of Cho who tried to look nonchalant and casual. Grinning madly, he captured her lips into a rather hungry kiss that made Harry's fingertips tingle with the desire to grab his wand and hex him to oblivion or turn him into a toad, he wasn't sure yet.

To Harry's opinion, the kiss took longer than necessary and when he saw the way Cho beamed after Eddy's lips had left hers with a disgusting sound, he averted his eyes. Suddenly he didn't feel like partying anymore and wanted nothing more than to go home.

Feeling his temper rising dangerously, Harry insisted they leave, deaf to Cho's protestations. They were arguing in their neighbour Carl's kitchen when Harry suddenly grabbed Cho's face, pushed her rather brutally into the wall causing a vase of dried sunflowers to drop and break, and kissed her with passion.

When he pulled back, he saw that Cho was looking at him in a mixt of wonderment, confusion and relief. She put her hands on his cheeks, looked at him searchingly before saying "do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" and capture his lips into a kiss that left his knees weak.


	3. Chapter 3

**3-SPRING STREET 4:10**

_"When I left you by the stairwell  
And your eyes were wet with tears  
Mother, you knew you had to let me go  
Even after all these years"_

* * *

"I have made up my mind," Cho stated firmly, one trembling hand clutching her wand and the other clasped around a small traveling bag.

Her father looked at her with steely eyes but for a flicker of a second something flashed across his face, something like pain; but then he straightened up, his face hardening and said "Very well," and without another word he turned and left the room.

Cho turned bravely toward her mother but felt her walls crumbling as she saw the tears in her eyes. She dropped her bag and ran into her mother's waiting arms.

"I'm sorry," she cried "I'm so sorry mum but I have to do this. For Cédric."

Mrs Chang simply stroked her daughter's hair but when she pulled away, her eyes were cold.

"You are going to die in this war," she said.

That was the last time Cho saw her father alive.

* * *

_"And I found myself a new life  
And I've been living with some friends  
And we hold on to dreams and live like kings  
Like the days will never end_

_And I left him by the statue  
And his eyes were filled with tears  
Lover you knew you had to let me go  
Even after all these years"_

She moved in with Suki Farrell and Judith Carmichael, two friends from Hogwarts and took a couple of odd jobs to sustain herself while closely following the developments of the war.

Even in the middle of the war, they managed to have some fun, sometimes having a girl's night out in muggle London, sometimes having friends over and chilling at home.

The next Christmas they were visited by Michael Corner who was out of Hogwarts for the holidays. He told them news about what was happening at school under Snape and the Carrows and all the things he couldn't write in his letters.

Michael and Cho were still dating even though their relationship was going nowhere. On the last day of the holidays, Cho was accompanying him down the street when Michael broke the silence.

"This is it then?" he asked; and by the look on his face, Cho knew immediately that he was talking about their relationship.

She looked down, suddenly ashamed of herself.

"I'm sorry Michael, it's just—"

"I am not going to pretend I understand," he shrugged

"but I've seen it coming a mile away and I guess it's better to end it while we don't hate each other."

Cho laughed humourlessly and then she realized that her eyes were wet with tears. Michael cupped her cheeks with his hands and advanced toward her.

"Take care." he said before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

Moments later he had his wand out and climbed inside the Knight Bus as it pulled into a stop.


	4. Chapter 4

**4-MY BEST 3:00**

"_Though it didn't work out  
I don't love you any less_

_My lover or friend  
I won't ever tell  
Our secrets safe  
An unspoken citadel_

_And in these broken times  
Well, it's so easy to forget  
So I sing to remind  
Upon my shoulder you can rest  
'Cause I'll always give you my best"_

* * *

It was the second time in less than one hour that her heart gave a leap.

She's just apparated at the Hog's Head and found herself face to face the three suspicious faces of Fred, George and Ginny Weasley. The three red heads were accompanied by Lee Jordan who seemed quite embarrassed by the whole situation.

Of course, they were bound to be there. Ginny was Harry's girlfriend, Fred and George his friends and the three of them siblings to Ron Weasley. But she, Cho Chang, what were her reasons?

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

"Hello," the others replied swiftly before Aberforth rushed them all through the portrait of the blond little girl.

Her heart beat fast as she traversed the dark passageway, knowing that he was on the other side and knowing that she was about to enter battle. But him being there was the reason why she received Neville's message and going into battle was the reason why she entered the D.A in the first place. This was it.

When she emerged, she couldn't help but feel amused to see his slaked jaw, but she quickly sobered up. Harry didn't look good: too pale, too thin, with burnt and dirty clothes.

"I got the message," she said in false calm and joined Michael.

More than once, she caught him looking her way but she was smart enough to admit that there was nothing romantic in it. Still, every time he did, her heart jumped. Stupid heart.

Thus, when talk about Ravenclaw's lost diadem emerged and though she didn't think they'd retrieve it, she volunteered to take Harry to Ravenclaw tower but Ginny crushed all her hopes.

She watched as he left with Luna and realized that he didn't know, didn't realize how much she was still pinning for him.


End file.
